Whitman school’s alumni-mentor program enters 6th year of providing advice

SYRACUSE — In addition to their professors, sophomores and juniors studying in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University also have a chance to learn from those who have already graduated from the school.

The Whitman Alumni Club has a mentor program, which allows graduates to connect with second- and third-year students, who are referred to as the “mentees.”

The school on Sept. 23 held an opening, meet-and-greet event for those involved to begin the program’s sixth year of advising students enrolled at the Whitman School.

The role of the mentor is simply to give the students advice, says Kim Michalak, president of the Whitman Alumni Club and a certified financial planner at Wells Fargo Advisors in Syracuse.

“We’re not supposed to give them internships. We’re not supposed to give them jobs. We can if something opened up, but our primary goal here is to give the students advice,” Michalak says.

Mentors in the program have discovered that some students need help in transitioning from college life to the business world, Michalak says.

They can offer their mentees recommendations for academic-course work or simply share life experiences that impacted their working life, Michalak adds.

This year, the program has 84 mentees and about 81 mentors (as of Sept. 23).

“If we can’t find another three mentors, some of the mentors will take two [mentees],” Michalak says.

The students are studying managerial subjects that include entrepreneurship, finance, accounting, and supply-chain management, Michalak adds.

The students and the mentors can decide how often and when they want to meet.

“You can meet once a week in person.  You can meet once a month in person. You can meet once a week by email or Skype or on the telephone. Whatever works for the mentor and the mentee,” Michalak says.

Michalak launched the program. Bruce Ruppert, who serves as chairperson of the Whitman Alumni Club Mentor Program, is running the day-to-day operations, Michalak says.

Ruppert also serves as director of business development for Superior Plus Energy Services in Van Buren.

Most mentors are located in the Syracuse area, and some are in New York City.  At least one is in Colorado, Ruppert says.

Besides the one-on-one mentoring, the program also offers students help with their interviewing skills, Ruppert said in his remarks to the gathering at the Sept. 23 event.

“Angela [Petrucco] will tell you what she hears from recruiters is that bright students sometimes only interview ‘okay’,” he says.

Angela Petrucco, assistant dean of career services at the Whitman School, also spoke to the students gathered for the event and emphasized the flexibility involved.

“It’s going to really be up to you [and] what you really need in setting that agenda for that [mentor-mentee] relationship,” said Petrucco. 

The mentor is someone to whom you can bring your “stupid questions,” Ethan Rothschild, a returning mentee, told the students in his remarks.

“When you’re first entering the work force, whether it’s an internship or a first job, you’re not going to know how to do everything,” he said.

He told his peers they’ll eventually wonder about etiquette and process in a job search, their cover letter and resume, and interviewing. The mentor, he said, won’t judge the students for asking about those questions. 

“This is a resource for you, and you really need to realize that if you want to get the most out of this program,” Rothschild said.

Rothschild is a junior majoring in management in the Whitman School and public relations in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, he said.

The mentors have a common goal in their desire to see the undergraduates “be successful,” Ruppert told the students.

“The mentors are giving freely of their time. They don’t get paid for what they do. They do it because they want to do it,” Ruppert told the students.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com